Artemis Fowl: The Spirit's Lament
by Lithos Maitreya
Summary: Artemis has recovered from the Atlantis Complex, and has discovered The Mysterious Benedict Society, and joined them. However, soon, Constance begins to suffer from strange nightmares, and the new quintet is called upon to rescue the Last of the Angels.
1. Chapter 1: An Intriguing Idea

**Yes, I know, I need to work on Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of the Lake, but I HATE CAT'S TALE! Rest assured, I haven't given up on it.**

**NOTE: The Last Maitreya IS NOT ME! There is NO SELF-INSERTION in here.**

**ALSO NOTE: "Text," is speech, 'Text,' is messaging, and **_**text, **_**is thoughts. **

**Disclaimer: I own none of these awesome genii or anyone else except any OCs I may add.**

_And Now, Presenting…_

_**ARTEMIS FOWL**_

**The Spirit's Lament**

_OR_

_**THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY**_

and the

**Last Maitreya**

_Chapter 1_

An Intriguing Idea

_In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and he is most interested in a certain quartet. Later, it shall be so that he arrives at their abode and meets the one who drew them together._

Artemis was angry. Correction, he was _furious_, though he didn't show it.

It had all began when he'd started an internet chess game, as he often did, to find some poor sorry soul who could barely be called a chess player to crush. It had escalated from there. He'd logged in as Master_Fowl, as he always did and was soon challenged by MBS1_RM. He'd fully expected to annihilate his foe in a few moves, as he always did, but he now found himself in a stalemate due to the fact that they'd both used his own private 'Irish Feint'. He'd never told anyone about the technique, so whoever it was, they were either a master hacker (like himself) or a genius (like himself).

A thought struck him, so he sent the message, 'Foaly, is that you?'

The reply came at a speed at which only a master typist (such as himself) could have achieved 'No. Who's Foaly? And how did you know about my Stonetown Maneuver?'

_Stonetown Maneuver? _thought Artemis _He, too, thought it up himself? _'I invented it! I call it the Irish Feint.' he sent. He nomally would have been more rude, but he felt this person deserved some grudging respect.

'Irish Feint? Are you Irish? Who are you?' was sent to him.

Artemis smiled. 'I would call telling you a security breach, but you, at least, seem intelligent enough to see the futility of attempting to harm myself or my family. Yes, I am Irish, and my name is Artemis Fowl II.'

'THE Artemis Fowl II? The child genius? The former criminal mastermind?'

Artemis' smile turned feral. 'Yes. And you are?'

'My name is Reynard Muldoon, but please, call me Reynie. I'm from Stonetown, England, and that's where I got the Stonetown Maneuver. Please, wait a moment, I have to ask someone something.'

A minute later, a new message was sent. 'I've been given permission to formally invite you to the secret Mysterious Benedict Society. We are a group of four gifted children, who, together, solve mysteries. We've saved the world before, too, though you probably won't believe me there. Would you like to join, or do you want me to email you more information?'

Artemis frowned. _Saved the world? This sounds strange… _he thought. However, he had Butler, so he probably wouldn't be in danger.

Suddenly Artemis remembered something Holly had once told him on one of their (now more common) social calls. _Artemis, _she'd said, _You don't weigh the risks of your ventures enough. Butler's heart has stopped twice in your service, and I died once too. One day your luck will run out if you're not careful._

_She was right, _Artemis mused, _I shouldn't trust that Butler and I alone can get us out of danger. But, perhaps… with her help…_

'I need to consider this.' he sent to Reynie. 'How can I contact you?'

'E-mail me at ReynieM(a)gmail .com.' he replied. 'Thanks. And good game!'

'Good game.' Artemis replied, as civility decreed, and logged out.

"Butler!" he called, "I wish to speak with you!"

Butler, Artemis' bodyguard, arrived quickly, breathing heavily from the stairs and the Kevlar embedded in his chest, and Artemis frowned, looking uncharacteristically concerned. "You didn't have to come so quickly as to strain yourself, Butler. I only wanted you advice."

"I'm fine, Artemis. I didn't want to keep you waiting. Why would you want my advice?" Butler said.

"I want your advice because this is a potentially dangerous venture I am contemplating, but it is not, in fact necessary. So your life is on the line if we do this, even more than mine, because I know from experience that if death is coming to me, you will take it, at least the first time." Artemis replied.

"And what is this venture?" Butler inquired, "I may know something about it."

"I've been invited by one Reynard Muldoon to join a certain Mysterious Benedict Society." Artemis told him.

He stared at me for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "The Mysterious Benedict Society?" he asked, once his mirth had subsided somewhat, "I know someone who works with them! His name's Milligan, or at least that's his code name, and he's the father of one of their members, Kate Wetherall. They're good people, and won't hurt us." He thought for a moment, then added, "Probably."

"Oh, good," said Artemis, "Then there aren't so many risks involved. I will tell Mr. Muldoon that I will join."

He turned to his computer, logged on to one of his E-mail accounts, and sent a message to Reynie. It said: 'I would be pleased to join the Mysterious Benedict Society. If you would please reply, enclosing your address, I will make my appearance as soon as possible. Thank you. I will pay for my own expense. Sincerely, Artemis Fowl II.'

A few minutes later, a reply arrived. It said: 'I am glad you agreed. The address is 4483 Corwin Lane, Stonetown, Michigan, USA. Please arrive soon. We will expect you at any time during daylight. Yours truly, Reynie Muldoon.'

Butler and Artemis packed a few things and went downstairs. Artemis' mother, Angeline, was in the hall, reading. She looked up when they arrived.

"Ah, Hello, Arty, dear," she said, coming over and kissing Artemis on the cheek.

"Hello Mum," said Artemis. He'd by now gotten used to calling his mother Mum, as she insisted. "Butler and I are going somewhere," he told her.

She frowned. "Where? And why didn't you ask me or your father?" she asked.

"As to the second question," Artemis said, "I am not a child anymore, Mum. I'm nearly sixteen, legally eighteen, and more intelligent than most adults. As to the first question, I was invited to a society for gifted children. Call it a chance to socialize."

Angeline sighed. "Sometimes I forget how fast you've grown up. You always remind me quickly. All right. Butler you're going with him?"

Butler looked horrified. "I wouldn't leave my principal alone for such a prolonged period of time!"

"Of course not, Of course not, sorry." said Angeline quickly. "Well, I'll get your father and the twins. They'll want to say good-bye."

She left then. A few minutes later, she came back with the entire family.

"Well, son," said Artemis Fowl Sr. "Good luck, whatever it is you're doing, and come home soon."

"Yeah, come back soon, Big Brother!" said Artemis' little brother Beckett. Myles, Beckett's twin, said nothing, because he'd recently lost one of his incisors, and was ashamed to speak with a lisp. He just waved.

"Bye, Arty," said Angeline hugging him.

"Look after him, Butler," said Artemis' father.

"Good-bye," said Artemis, and he and Butler walked out the door, entered their car, and drove away.

Soon they reached the airport. They used the Fowl private jet and flew to the nearest airport to Stonetown. They then rented a car (a good one, of course. A Fowl had to travel in style) and drove around, asking people where they could find Corwin Lane. They reached it eventually, and drove down it until they reached number 4483. It was nearly dark at this point, but still daylight.

The house was actually a small manor, and the sign in front said 'The Benedict Residence, also home to the Perumals and Wetheralls'. The two of them walked up to the doorway and Butler rang the doorbell. It was soon answered by a powerfully built man of about six feet.

"Artemis Fowl," he said calmly. "We weren't expecting you today, but I, at least am glad you could make it. Hello Butler, It's been too long."

"Good day Milligan," replied Butler.

"May we come in?" asked Artemis.

"Certainly," said Milligan, stepping aside to allow them entry. They crossed the threshold, and found themselves in a large, brightly lit room, with black walls. It had four identical doors on all sides.

"This is Mr. Benedict's maze." said Milligan. "We'd like you to find your way through it, but it isn't required of you."

"I think I shall attempt it. What must I do?" asked Artemis.

"Simple. Find the staircase at the other end of the maze." said Milligan.

Artemis smiled. He already knew how he might do this. "What are the dimensions of the maze, in rooms?"

"Five by five." said Milligan.

And we are in the center of the bottom, third from left or right?"

"Yes."

"And the stairs are directly opposite us?"

"Yes."

"Good." Artemis said, and went forward. There was no forward in the next room, so he went left. Then forward, then two right, back, right, two forward, left, forward, two left, forward, and right. There were the stairs. He'd simply stayed as close to the center line as possible. They went upstairs, Butler and Artemis, and met someone new there.

It was a very short woman, looking (in height) only about fifteen. "Hi," she said, "My name is Rhonda. This is the second test. It's also unnecessary, if you don't want to take it."

"I shall attempt it. What is it?" asked Artemis.

"You have to walk across this room," she said gesturing at the next room, which was filled with yellow, red, and blue rectangles, but almost all were yellow, "Without stepping on a yellow square."

Artemis snorted and simply walked across the room. When they reached the other side, Butler asked him, "How did that pass you?"

"They were _rectangles_, Butler." Artemis sighed.

"Oh." said Butler, looking abashed.

Now they were at a new stairway, and Milligan and Rhonda were both there too.

"Well done! You passed." said Milligan.

Artemis rolled his eyes. "That was hardly difficult enough for a 'Well done', I should think. But thank you anyway."

"You're welcome," said Milligan, grinning wryly, "Although, I have to say that none of the others thought it so easy."

"I'm special," said Artemis, with his signature vampire's grin firmly in place, and Milligan shuddered slightly. "What is the next test?" he asked then.

"There isn't one," said Rhonda, "You're finished. Come on upstairs and meet the rest of the Society!"

Butler and Artemis followed the two upstairs. There, they were greeted by a slightly yellow-skinned woman.

"Artemis Fowl?" she asked sharply.

"In the flesh," replied Artemis, smirking.

"Well, I'm Number Two, and I'm to take you to Mr. Benedict."

"Very well," said Artemis, while thinking, _Number Two? How unimaginative._

He and Butler began to follow her, but Milligan said, "Butler, I'm afraid you can't go with him. Mr. Benedict likes one-on-one conversations with new children."

Butler stared at him as though he'd lost his mind, and said, "I have a reason for my blue-diamond, Milligan. I don't leave my principal alone in an unsecured area with a potential hostile. Mr. Benedict can have a one-on-one with Master Artemis when I am sure I can trust him and everyone else here, not before."

Milligan sighed resignedly, and let Butler pass. He and Artemis followed Number Two down a corridor, up a flight of stairs, and down another corridor until they reached a doorway. Number Two knocked, and a quiet voice from inside said, "Come in."

The three of them entered. In the room, they found a boy of Artemis' own age and an elderly man playing chess. They both looked up as the three entered, and both smiled.

"Ah, thank you, Number Two. Now go get something to eat." said the old man.

"Very well," said Number Two, and left.

"Good day, Master Fowl," Said the man, "I am Nicholas Benedict."

**CONTEST ALERT! Why did I call the street Corwin Lane? If you've read Roger Zelazney's Amber Series (Which I don't own) you should know. Winner makes a request! PLEASE tell me if I missed a test. Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2: Not The First

…**Sorry for my epic failures last chapter…**

**I do have an excuse though. That being that MBS DISCLAIMER, but I don't even own all the books. I only have a copy of book 2. Sad, I know, but true. I borrowed the others off a friend months ago.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of these awesome genii or anyone else except any OCs I may add.**

_Chapter 2_

Not The First

_In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and he speaks with the well-known Nicholas Benedict, as well as the famous Reynard "Reynie" Muldoon. Later, it shall be so that he discovers the one called Benedict's involvement with a certain mutual acquaintance._

"Sit down, please." said Mr. Benedict. Artemis sat in the unoccupied chair.

The layout was this. The chessboard that Benedict and the boy had been playing on was on the desk; Artemis and the boy were facing the desk with their backs to the door, and Mr. Benedict was facing the desk and the door.

"So, Master Fowl…" began Mr. Benedict.

Artemis interrupted with, "Mister Fowl, please. I am eighteen."

Mr. Benedict smiled. "My daughter, Constance, has stated that you aren't actually as old as your papers say. She says you're nearly sixteen, and I am inclined to believe her over a former criminal."

Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "How would she know? Although I do admit I cannot deny her accusations."

"Well, she is a psychic." said the boy. "She knows things."

Both of Artemis' eyebrows rose now, and Butler gave out a hastily stifled gasp, but all that was said was, "Indeed. And you, I believe are Master Muldoon." This last was said to the boy.

"Why shouldn't I be another member of the Society?" the boy asked neutrally.

"Very simple: you were playing chess, and were halfway through a 'Stonetown Maneuver'." said Artemis simply.

"True, but Reynie might have shared it with the rest of the society. You cannot yet prove my identity."

"I admit that, but, I must add, Reynie was careful to say 'gifted children', not 'gifted boys, transvestites, or genii." said Artemis calmly. "Also, only Reynie himself, unless he desires a double-bluff, would argue so vehemently against his being himself. Thus, the evidence points to your being Reynard Muldoon, until further notice."

"All right. You win," sighed Reynie, for Reynie it was.

"I always do. And now that we are all aware of our own identities," said Artemis, satisfied, "What was this I heard about saving the world?"

"Well," began Reynie. "It all started with a newspaper article…"

Reynie explained the whole story, from the society's meeting, to the Institute, to the Whisperer, to the adventures of the _Shortcut_, to the duskwort, to the final attempt by Mr. Curtain to regain the Whisperer. Artemis listened through it all without comment. Reynie ended with, "That was all a few years ago, of course. I was thirteen then, and I'm fifteen now."

Artemis nodded. "I caught the Whisperer's radio waves." he said. "I managed to block them from all of the appliances in my home, and swore that if the person sending them, who I already knew was called Ledroptha Curtain, gained the power he sought, I would crush him. The only reason I wouldn't crush him before was so that when he fell, I could take his throne. I wouldn't do that now," he added, at their scandalized faces, "I was still a criminal then. I have changed."

"Good." said Reynie. "Now tell us your story."

Artemis hesitated, and then said, "Curse this newfound conscience. I don't wish to lie to you, but I am sworn to silence on this. My past is too connected with them, I cant just cut them out of it. I'm sorry."

"That's okay," said Reynie, while Mr. Benedict watched Artemis closely. "We all have secrets."

"My sincerest thanks for your understanding." said Artemis graciously, "I would tell you if I could."

"Does your bodyguard, Butler, I think, know these secrets?" Mr. Benedict asked suddenly.

"Of course," said Artemis, slightly surprised, "He knows my life story from start to finish. He's been with me since my birth. Why?"

Mr. Benedict didn't answer, saying to Reynie, "Wait outside for a moment, please, and I beg of you, don't listen in."

"Sure," said Reynie, shrugging, and left.

"Now," said Mr. Benedict to Artemis, "Do these secrets have anything to do with the People?"

Artemis froze for an instant, and then said, in a cold, hard voice, "Butler, sights on him. Now."

Butler didn't need telling twice. His Sig Sauer was out and pointing at the man's head in less than a second. Mr. Benedict's eyes widened, and he tensed. "Why didn't Milligan take your gun?" he asked Butler quietly, still not moving.

"I expect he knew Butler well enough to know that he could incapacitate everyone here with his bare hands." Artemis lied carefully, "Now, how much do you know about the People?"

"Nothing recent." said Mr. Benedict, almost sadly, "We haven't been in contact for over twenty years. I was acquainted with an elf by the name of Root. Julius Root. We were friends, as far as elves and Mud Men can be friends, and I helped Foaly, a centaur, in many of Julius' escapades as a Lieutenant of the Lower Elements police, or LEP, and later, as commander. We lost contact shortly after his brother, Turnball, was imprisoned. I haven't seen him since. Do you know him?" he asked them, then semed to notice that both their hands were shaking slightly.

"Butler," said Artemis, softly, "Lower the gun." Butler did. Artemis turned to Mr. Benedict. "Then you won't be glad to know that the commander is dead."

Mr. Benedict looked like he'd been struck. "Dead?" he whispered, "How did this happen? Was it Turnball?"

"No." said Artemis, "It was a pixie by the name of Opal Koboi. I shall tell you the full story of my involvement with the fairies, but I'd like to know why you lost contact with the commander."

Artemis told the tale from start to finish, leaving only a few private matters out. When he finished, Mr. Benedict, who still seemed dazed by the knowledge of his friend's death, said, "Thank you for telling me all this. I will tell you my story, but Reynie has been exceedingly patient. Can we discuss this later?"

"Certainly." replied Artemis.

"Reynie!" called Mr. Benedict, "You can come in now!"

Reynie entered, saw Mr. Benedict's grief-stricken face and glared and Artemis and Butler in turn. "What did you do?" he asked, almost growling with anger.

"They were simply the bearers of bad news, Reynie," said Mr. Benedict, "They knew an old friend of mine, and just told me of his demise."

"Oh. I'm… sorry…" said Reynie, looking sympathetic.

"That's all right. Would you please introduce Artemis and Butler to the other three? I… need some time."

"Okay." said Reynie, and Butler and Artemis followed him out of the room, the latter glancing at the mourning Mr. Benedict as he left.

**How was it? Yes, Artemis lied, yes Butler knew it, but the truth? …sorry, wait and see. I needed an explanation for Arty's unaffectedness by the Whisperer. This seemed good. Also, Still waiting for answers to last chapter's question!**

**Was Chappie Bad?**

**Was Chappie Good?**

**Review Chappie, Bad or Good,**

**And Happy I will Be!**


	3. Chapter 3: Among Equals

**Once again, I'm here with a chapter. I guessed on some details of their appearance, so correct me. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, NOT EVEN THE LAST MAITREYA! That's correct, he's NOT an OC!**

_Chapter 3_

Among Equals

_In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and he is introduced to the remainder of the Mysterious Benedict Society. Later, it shall be so that the one called Constance attempts to reveal his secrets._

Reynie led Artemis and Butler through the manor. As they walked, he asked, "Who was it, this 'mutual acquaintance'?"

"Someone by the name of Julius Root," said Artemis softly. "A good man. He died two years ago."

"Oh." said Reynie, and then asked, "Was he a friend of yours?"

"Not really. I had nothing but the highest respect for him, but our occupations made friendship impossible." said Artemis, smiling at his fond memories of the elfin commander. "He was a police officer, and I was a criminal. He was, however, instrumental in my discontinuation of criminal activities."

"I see. Well, here we are," said Reynie, as they reached a door. " Come on in."

They entered a large living room. In the middle of the room, three children were sitting around a table, playing a board game. Artemis immediately realized that these were the other members of the society. There was a girl, slightly older than him, with a Caucasian skin tone and long blond hair in a braid, and bright blue eyes. Beside her was a boy, slightly younger, with dark skin, black, shaved hair, and anxious brown eyes. The third child was only perhaps six, with a freckled face, red hair, and pale blue eyes. They all looked up as the three entered, and each looked at a different person with a different expression on their face. The blond girl looked at Reynie looking glad to see him, the shaven-headed boy stared at Butler in fear, and the six-year-old eyed Artemis, almost appraisingly.

"Hi, Reynie," said the blond girl, "Who're these two?"

"Hey, guys," said Reynie. The six-year-old cleared her throat, glaring at him, and Reynie quickly amended, "And girls."

The little girl subsided, muttering about sexism, as Reynie began to introduce the members of the society to Artemis and Butler. "Artemis, Butler, this is Kate," that was the blond girl, "Sticky," the shaven-headed boy, "and Constance." the little girl. "Guys, (and girls), this is Artemis Fowl, and this is his bodyguard, Butler. Artemis is joining the society."

"The criminal?" Kate asked sharply, looking from Reynie to Artemis.

"_Former_ criminal, thank you," said Artemis in a soft, yet razor-edged voice. "I do not intend to ever do another criminal enterprise, or at least, not to serve my own selfish purposes."

"Really," said Kate, clearly unconvinced.

Artemis sighed. He hadn't really expected to be trusted by everyone here. In fact, Reynie had surprised him by being so open.

He looked at Reynie. Reynie was looking at Kate, as though trying to send her a subconscious message, and suddenly Artemis realized that Reynie _didn't _trust him. He'd told him just enough to lull him into a sense of security, and withheld all other information. Artemis had subconsciously dismissed the lack of precise locations and proper names in Reynie's narrative earlier, because he was so used to people overlooking details. Now he realized that Reynie knew that, and had deliberately left out as much information as he could without being conspicuous. _He really is almost as intelligent as I am, _Artemis mused, not admiring, but acknowledging. _He knows just how to play his cards. He recognizes my greater intelligence, and acts accordingly._

Suddenly Artemis realized what it meant for him to be dealing with Reynie constantly. _This will be an interesting partnership,_ he decided.

Suddenly, Constance spoke up. "I don't expect all of you guys _and girls_ to believe me, but we can trust him. He's telling the truth about the criminal thing. He won't do anything to us."

Artemis stared at her, and recent memories surfaced. _Mr. Benedict smiled._ _"My daughter, Constance, has stated that you aren't actually as old as your papers say. She says you're nearly sixteen, and I am inclined to believe her over a former criminal."_

_Artemis cocked an eyebrow. "How would she know? Although I do admit I cannot deny her accusations."_

"_Well, she is a psychic." said the boy. "She knows things." _Artemis would have panicked, were it not for his own skill at psi-neural games. Using his well-trained mind powers, he effectively built an impenetrable silver dome around his thoughts. He allowed her to see the harmless ones, but the People, and everything related to them was protected. It was very fortunate that Constance hadn't gotten that far in his mind yet, otherwise her consciousness would have been severed from her body, giving him split personalities again, and leaving her a lifeless shell. Constance reach the barrier, and beat against it. She was strong, a natural telepath, unlike himself, but she was untrained. She could not touch his thoughts or memories without his consent. She retreated from the depths of his mind.

All of this had taken place in mere moments. Artemis was now calmly accepting the challenging glare Constance was sending him as he lowered the barriers around his mind, while maintaining a careful watch on his mind to avoid invasion. He looked around at all the members of the society.

"I know that all of you are gifted," he said, "But, as yet, I do not know what your gift are. Would someone tell me?"

"Well, Constance is psychic, and very intelligent," said Reynie, "Sticky has the ultimate memory and thirst for knowledge, Kate has more physical skill than I've ever seen," Kate blushed slightly at this compliment from Reynie, "And I have a skilled logical mind."

"Skilled?" said Sticky incredulously, "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. You've got to be the second most logical-minded person I've ever met! Second only to Mr. Benedict!"

Artemis cleared his throat and said "I understand your gifts now. Incidentally, Reynard here is the second most logical-minded person I have ever met as well, but Mr. Benedict is in fact second to _him_. He only seems more intelligent due to his experience, which is formidable."

"He's right," said Constance, "And Reynie is only second to him. I said he's not a criminal anymore. That's true. But don't trust him. He's a stronger psychic even than I am."

Everyone looked surprised except Artemis, who sighed slightly and said, "You are mistaken. You are stronger than I. You are a natural telepath. I am not. I am, however, more skilled at defence than you are at offence. This is simply through training. I, however, cannot do anything offensive to another's mind directly, as you can."

"Oh. I'm flattered," said Constance, sarcastically, as though trying to cover up her surprise at his so calmly admitting a failing. Then she seemed to realize. "That's not a weakness to you is it? You don't care that I am naturally stronger, so long as you can still defeat me!"

"Of course," said Artemis, "Why be offended by the truth, so long as the odds are still in your favor? It serves no purpose, save to endanger your concentration."

"So you're psychic?" asked Kate.

"No." said Artemis patiently, "I am an artificial psi-neural. I have no natural psychic skill. I have trained myself, however, to the point where I can defend against telepathic attacks. But I do not have any capacity for offence. That would be detrimental to the world."

"Yes, it would," said Butler, chuckling, as Number Two came in.

"Time for bed, children. Sticky, off home you go," she said, "And you two, Artemis, Butler, I shall lead you to your bedrooms. They are adjoining, by the way."

The two of them bid the rest of the Society good night, and followed her through several corridors, and down a flight of stairs, until they reached two doorways.

"When would you like to be woken up? We will need to send someone for you, as you don't know your way around," said Number Two.

"Wake me at seven, please," said Artemis.

"Me too," said Butler.

"Certainly. Good night," said Number Two.

"Good night," they replied, and entered their rooms.

Artemis' had pleasing silver wallpaper, and was quite well decorated, in the theme of metallic colors. Perfect for him. The things he had packed were all set and organized for him. He quickly changed into his silver sleeping robe, tucked himself neatly into the bed, and fell asleep quickly.

His sleep might have been undisturbed, but Constance's was not. She tossed and turned in the grasp of a dream that was more vision than the images that sleep gives us, which are half memory.

_She was in an enormous stone hall, at least fifty feet tall, with a floor area of at least ten thousand square feet, one hundred by one hundred. There were huge stone pillars throughout at regular intervals. There was one single window, which shot a beam of bright blue illumination straight at the stone tablet near the hall's center. The rest of the illumination came from the small floating gems all around her, which glowed with an ethereal blue light, the small torch she held, or the great luminous crystal in the center of the hall. It, too, glowed blue, but it glowed more brightly than the smaller gems, and it was not one uniform blue. It's color shifted constantly, going from a deep navy, to a bright sky blue, to a strange indigo, to a sea green-blue. The stone tablet was directly before it._

_She walked over to it, and saw that it read, _

'_The Diamond Tomb of Temporaiat, Maitreya Elementaia of Time_

_Bearer of the Diamonds of Criat Gor'Dith_

_Master of the Diamond Codex Diraia_

_Guardian of the Aura_

"Audi Famam Illius_"_

"Hear the Fame of That One_"'_

_She stared at the crystal, and saw the unmistakable shape of a creature within it. Not human, something else, but a bipedal creature. This was it's tomb. It was dead. That was clear. So why did its eyes suddenly open in a flash of red?_

She woke, screaming in terror. It was the dead of night. She shook, alone, for a while, before sleep claimed her once more.

**So? Good? Bad? Ugly? Who is the Last Maitreya? I invented the name Temporaiat, but if you recognize 'Audi Famam Illius', then know he's a character from the game that's from. 'Hear the Fame of That One' is the literal translation. And he always had red eyes. Thanks for your feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4: Designing a Vision

**NOTE: From now on, expect WEEKLY UPDATES! I will try to update every weekend. Thanks.**

**Disclaimer: I own only a few of the Maitreya. Not even all of them.**

_Chapter 4_

Designing a Vision

_In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and he shows us his designs of a thing we have only dreamed of. Later, it shall be so that the one called Constance speaks of her visions._

Artemis was woken the next morning at seven, as he'd asked, by Rhonda. He changed and was led to the dining room, along with Butler, committing the route to memory as he went. When he arrived, no one was there, so he began to work on the designs for a certain project of his. It, if it succeeded, would be one of the greatest achievements of humankind to date, especially since he would be beating the fairies to it.

He was designing a starship. A battleship starfighter, to be exact.

He was toying with various names already, as he designed the broadside solar sails. _Stellar Dawn? Corona? Or perhaps a Roman name, as was given to the planets? Or perhaps a Norse, Egyptian, or Greek name? Hyperion? Perhaps, I'll file that for future reference. Ra? No, Ra is too basic. Balder? No, for the same reason. However, 'Light' should be part of the meaning. I wonder…_

He sighed. The design was actually remarkably simple, he'd already designed a form of motion mechanism, a 'drive', to use the common term. It ran on iridium and magic, the two of which, he'd found, reacted together explosively. The weapons systems, too, were quite simple, once magic was in the equation. He'd designed a battery, which used magic as it's power source, and refracted, energized, and supercharged photons into the shape of a small three-dimensional ellipse using crystals. In essence, they were laser weapons. The real difficulty, however, was in other weaponry.

He'd soon realized that lasers left too many open avenues for an enemy to escape through. It was possible to armor a ship in a metal, hard enough to withstand laser impact, and reflective, to send the beams back at their originator. He'd decided to design other weapons. Missiles, fighter pods (small ships launched off another to intercept or attack other ships or oncoming missiles), bombs, and (his personal favorite) the Gravitational Destabilizers, which scrambled the force of gravity on a ship, spinning it, denting it, sometimes causing it to completely implode or explode. It was hard to pack the power of space travel into such small things, and to design their capabilities as weapons.

Suddenly he heard someone come up behind him; someone small. He at once shielded his mind, closed his laptop, and turned to face none other than Constance.

"Hello," he said calmly.

"Hi," she said, looking up at him, and he saw that her eyes were rimmed with red. She had clearly not gotten enough sleep the previous night.

"Did you not sleep well?" he asked her, actually worried. She was clearly disturbed by something other than lack of sleep, and the deprivation of her rest accented it.

"No," she said, "I had a nightmare. If I thought anyone would believe me, I'd say it was a vision."

"A vision?" asked Artemis, "Tell me something about it."

"You won't laugh?"

"Upon my word."

"How much is that worth then?"

"Its weight in gold."

"Then keep talking. I could use the money."

They both laughed. Even Butler gave a slight chuckle, from his position behind Artemis' chair. Artemis' mirth soon subsided, however. "Well?" he asked, "Tell me about your vision."

"Let's wait until everyone's here," said Constance, "I only want to talk about it once."

"Very well," said Artemis. They sat there, and waited. Not long afterward, Sticky came through the front door, and joined them.

"Hi," he said to them, shooting Butler a nervous glance.

Butler chuckled, "You don't need to worry," he told the frightened boy, "I won't hurt you unless Master Artemis tells me to or unless you're threatening him. Other than that I'm just here."

"Okay," said Sticky, not looking entirely reassured, and sat down. "What's going on?" he asked Constance.

Constance put on an amusingly childish 'high and mighty' face, and declaimed:

"When a girl was taunted by visions hideous

And sought comfort in her friends,

They did not deign to hear us

As we spoke of dreams' trends."

For a moment, there was silence. Then, as Sticky sighed, Artemis began to laugh. He laughed long, almost strangled with mirth, as the others all stared at him. He managed to choke out, "Dreams' trends… retorts in rhyming couplets… _that's_ amusing…"

"It's not _that_ funny," said Constance, her face reddening. Suddenly, Reynie came up the stairs.

He stared at Artemis for a moment, then asked, "What's so funny?"

"Rhyming… c-couplets… Constance, tell him…" Artemis choked out.

Reynie swiveled his eyes to Constance, "He's laughing at one of your rhyming couplet retorts?"

"Yeah. And it wasn't even a _good_ one," she said, her eyes wide and beseeching, as though asking, _Take me away from this weird person!_

"Sorry," said Artemis, his mirth subsiding. "It is only… retorts in rhyming couplets. _Genius_. But I am sorry, anyway. Where were we?"

"Something about 'Visions hideous'," said Sticky, at which Artemis gave a wry chuckle.

"I seem to be the only one who knows absolutely nothing about what's going on," Reynie said dryly. "If it's not too much trouble, could it be explained?"

"When Kate gets here," said Constance. "Like I told Artemis, I don't want to talk about it more than once."

They waited in silence for some time, occasionally punctuated by someone's attempt at conversation. Artemis was just considering challenging Reynie to a game of chess when Kate came up the stairs and joined them.

"What did I miss?" she asked, seeming to talk more to Reynie than to the rest of them. And it was Reynie who answered.

"We were just waiting for you to find out," he told her. "Constance had a vision or something. So, Constance? Everyone's here now. What's all this about?"

"Last night," began Constance, "I had a dream. It wasn't… _normal_, though. I thought dreams had to do with sorting out memory and imagination, but I couldn't even imagine the stuff in that dream.

"In the dream, I was in a huge stone hall. I had a torch in my hand, but it wasn't really necessary, because of the crystals. They were everywhere, floating all around me. But there was one that was bigger than all the rest.

"It was in the middle of the room, and it was at least as big as you, Butler. All the crystals were blue, but this one changed color, always blue, but always a different blue. And there was a stone slab in front of it, lit up by a beam of blue light from the one window, which was really high up. I walked over to it, and saw that there was writing on it. This is what it said:

'The Diamond Tomb of Temporaiat, Maitreya Elementaia of Time

Bearer of the Diamonds of Criat Gor'Dith

Master of the Diamond Codex Diraia

Guardian of the Aura

"_Audi Famam Illius_"

"_Hear the Fame of That One_"'

"I looked up at the crystal then, and saw a silhouette. It wasn't human, its head had ears almost like a husky dog's, and it looked like it had a snout. It also had a long flowing tail. It was dead, entombed in the diamond, that was obvious. But then, just before I woke up, I saw its eyes open, glowing so red I could see them against the blue of the diamond. That's when I woke up, screaming. If any of you understands what happened, tell me, 'cause I don't get it."

**Ugh. I don't like the ending, but it was the best I could come up with. I thank you for your reviews, they really help me, and Kahlan can testify to that, since I took her advice (Thanks, Kahlan. Really. It's helped a lot.) All those of you who recognize either of these terms, know that they will feature prominently in future: Stellar Converter, and Nova Ray. Anyway, I can just picture Artemis designing a starship. It so typical of him to go and pull something like that on us, isn't it? Anyway, as for you, so for me, so R & R Please, If you want my story to improve. Thanks.**


	5. Chapter 5: Thundazi

**I am so sorry. I had a mother of a workload, but it's done. Prepare for weekly updates. I'm serious this time.**

**NOTE: I need a Betareader! Contact me if you're willing to Beta this story and my others!**

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**Disclaimer: I own only a few of the Maitreya. Not even all of them.**

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_Chapter 5_

Thundazi

_In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and he, with the help of the others, completes a task. Later, it shall be so that more is revealed by the Angel of Storms._

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"I cannot be certain of anything," Artemis said to Constance. "There is not enough information to give us so much as an idea. But, rest assured, I believe you. 'When you have ruled out the impossible, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth', after all, and that cannot have been a normal dream. It was too… shall I say, insane?"

"Oh, thank you," muttered Constance. "I'm flattered."

"You should be. I just stated that I don't consider you insane." Artemis told her, but she didn't reply.

"I believe you too," said Reynie, "What Artemis said makes sense."

"I don't know," said Sticky agitatedly, "On the one side, it can't be a dream, but on the other, it can't be real!"

"Well, I think it was just a dream," said Kate flatly, "A giant underground hall? It sounds like something out of 'The Lord of the Rings'!"

Constance looked offended, but Artemis' brow creased, as though trying to think hard. _'Lord of the Rings'… underground… There's a connection, I know it!_

"There is nothing we can do for the present in any case," said Artemis, his face once more composed. "I suggest that we wait and see if Constance dreams again."

"That'd be wise, I think," said Reynie.

Everyone agreed. Soon they were all sitting in silence. Artemis had now challenged Reynie to a game of chess, in which Irish Feint/Stonetown Maneuvers were prohibited.

Suddenly Constance spoke. "Hey, Artemis?"

"Yes?" Artemis said, glaring at the chessboard, where he'd just lost a rook.

"You were working on something when I came in, weren't you? I saw a diagram on your laptop screen. It almost looked like a sci-fi computer game."

Artemis blinked his face not revealing his thoughts. _They are allies, but since when have I ever trusted anyone with my plans? But then again, Reynie seems almost my equal…_

"Very well," he said at length. "If you must know…" And he opened his laptop.

The other members of the Society stared at the diagram for a moment, and then Kate chuckled. "So it _was _a computer game."

Artemis rolled his eyes, but didn't deign to reply. Reynie, who didn't seem to have heard Kate, whispered, "Artemis… this is _genius_, not that I'm surprised at that. I mean… this would work, except for the issue of the force to mass of the weapons!"

"I read about a theory somewhere. Mass drivers," said Sticky. "Bullets assisted by the force driving a ship."

Artemis' eyes widened. "I will never again doubt your choice of reading, Sticky!" he said as he leaned forward and began to implement the mass drivers into the weapons' designs.

"Wait a minute…" said Kate, "These are designs for an actual spaceship?"

Constance chuckled. "Of course," she giggled. "What less do you expect from the great Artemis Fowl?"

"Nothing at all," said Artemis simply. "At any rate, now that you all know, you can help me come up with a name. I've been considering, and 'Hyperion' and 'Corona', are the best I've come up with."

"There's Apollo," began Kate, but Artemis interrupted.

"Taken by the Apollo Project," he said coolly.

"Perhaps 'The Hunter', after its maker," said Reynie.

"No," said Artemis, after some thought. "I may be narcissistic, but I need not tell the world that."

"True," said Sticky. "Perhaps 'Phoenix'?"

"Perhaps," said Artemis, but suddenly, Constance, as she had five years ago, showed her aptitude at names.

"The 'Nova Ray'," she said simply, and left to find something to eat, as though there was nothing more to discuss, and as it happened, she was right.

Two hours later the four teenagers were all either excited (in Kate and Sticky's cases) or quietly satisfied (in Artemis and Reynie's cases). The _Nova Ray_ had been designed. Weapons had been miniaturized, and attached to the hull, shields had been designed and placed, and all was ready for building. Of course, they would not be building this until much later, when they could without the designs being used by some warring nation or other. Constance had long since left them in favor of breakfast, and now they went to join her.

That day was spent doing nothing more that playing various games. Cards, computer, chess (of course), and a childish invention of Reynie's, 'Who knows more theories of physics?' which he played with Artemis. But the sun set, and soon they all dispersed, in favor of a soft bed.

I the corridor by their bedrooms, Butler asked Artemis, "I saw that you were thinking hard during the conversation about the dreams at one point. What was it?"

"I saw something," said Artemis sourly, "But not all of it. There is a connection between 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'underground', but I can't see what it is!"

Butler said instantly, "There are mythical creatures underground and in 'Lord of the Rings'."

Artemis would have gaped, but that would ruin his reputation. "Of course. I should have seen that. I most likely did not because I do not think of Holly and the others as mythical creatures. This may, or may not be significant. We cannot know unless Constance dreams again. Good night Butler."

"Good night, Artemis."

Constance, as it happen, was dreaming again. _Again she stood in the hall with her torch. Again she saw the Tomb. Again she saw the pedestal. Again she read the engravings. Again she read. But now Temporaiat did not wake quite yet. "Sad, isn't it?" said a voice beside her. She turned and saw a man standing there. He wore long, flowing blue robes and a violet cloak was clasped about his neck with an amethyst broach. His hair was jet-black, and his eyes shone like violet gems in his face. He was staring sadly at the Tomb. "Sad," he repeated, facing her, "What can happen to those who do good."_

"_Who are you?" she asked him. "Who was it?" She gestured at the Diamond Tomb._

"_I?" he asked. "I had many names when I lived. I go by few now that I am dead. You may call me Thundazi. He was, as you have read, called Temporaiat."_

"_Who are you two though?" she asked impatiently, not really surprised that Thundazi was dead. He smiled slightly, though his eyes were willed with an ancient sadness._

"_We… were Angels." He replied, and as he spoke, great, white owl's wings sprouted from his back, reaching up towards the roof. She stared._

"_Now hear me, Constance, for my time is short," said Thundazi. "This place is the third wing of the Hall of Frond. Tell Artemis that. A great Darkness is massing, readying itself to destroy your Earth in one fell swoop. Temporaiat must wake from his long slumber. He can help you. Tell Artemis that this is the Third wing of the Hall of Frond. He will know what to do. You must wake Temporaiat." And Thundazi vanished in a clap of thunder and a flash like lightning. She stared at the Tomb, and as she looked the eyes once more opened red, and she awoke._

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**It has begun… Anyway R&R, and I need a Beta, remember!**


	6. Chapter 6: Angels

**A/N****I have a beta! Kahlan has agreed to beta for me! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I own only Armando Terra and a few of the Maitreya. Not even all of them.**

_Chapter 6_

Angels_  
__In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and he hears of this latest developme__n__t of Fate. Later, it shall be so that we catch a glimpse of the goings-on beneath the earth._

The sun rose early that morning, and was almost instantly followed by Artemis. Once again he had woken early, and came down to the dining room with Butler. Because the sun had only just risen it was too early for the other members of the household – even Kate, whom he'd noticed never seemed to be tired. But today, he found Constance awaiting his arrival. He didn't know whether or not he was surprised to see her. She looked troubled, as if she hadn't slept at all the night before and needed someone to talk to. He was about to ask what was wrong (it was only courteous) when she told him herself.

"Artemis," she said softly. "I dreamed again."

She didn't just look troubled; she looked terrible. Had she been up all night, waiting to tell him this? It must be important, then – Constance would never stay up late of her own volition. "Has something new happened?" he asked, "Why didn't you simply go back to sleep?"

"Couldn't," she grunted, "Too curious about what you'd say. Listen. A spirit came to me in the dream. He called himself Thundazi. Anyway, he told me a lot. Apparently, he and Temporaiat were both Angels when they were alive."

"Angels? Really? Did he, too, have the head of a jackal?" Artemis asked.

"No," said Constance, "he looked human. They were definitely separate species, which is weird. But he looked like an Angel, because he sprouted huge owl's wings from his back."

"It is indeed," Artemis mused. He then said, "Go on, Constance."

"Anyway, he said, '_A great Darkness is massing, readying itself to destroy your Earth in one fell swoop._' He said that the only hope was to wake up Temporaiat. And he said you'd know what to do if I told you that the huge hall was the third wing of the Hall of Frond. I don't know what plants have to do with it-"

Artemis leapt up, feeling very suddenly alive, and he knew what to 's fists clenched. "You were right, Butler, old friend," Artemis said calmly, but his eyes betrayed his excitement. "It's time to contact our old friends."

He then turned to Constance. "Alert Mr. Benedict to your dream. I will be back in a moment." Then he rushed out of the room, moving as quickly as he could through the mansion while not giving the appearance of being really rushed about anything. He was excited, almost more so than he had ever been, but for anyone to realize that would be catastrophic to his reputation – Artemis Fowl was never excited over such fantasies, as they might well be. He was certain he was on the trail of a crisis of the type that only Holly would – and very well could – aid him with.

As he entered his room, he took exactly four seconds to fully catch his breath, and then opened his fairy communicator ring to contact Captain Holly Short. Several stressful seconds went by before it clicked, and he heard Holly's voice: she was shouting. "What is it _now_, Mud Boy?" she yelled. "I thought we agreed 'no calling during my work hours'?"

**Haven City, Lower Elements – Point of View of Captain Holly Short**

Artemis had, of course and as always, called at the worst possible moment. Holly was currently dodging Neutrino blasts in the center of Haven city - a small group of citizens had thrown a riot. Technically, she was supposed to be off-duty, but the police who were stationed here couldn't handle such small things. Apparently, the Dwarf Prophet Armando Terra had predicted the end of the world by some alien force from another planet. It sounded to most like no more than the ramblings of a madman who'd finally cracked (actually, he was legally declared insane and the LEP were about to have him committed to the J. Argon Institute), but some loyal disciples had believed him, panicked, and started trying to stun everyone in sight, so that 'they wouldn't feel the pain later'. ← The LEP was cracking down hard, trying to subdue the riot before some insane civilian accidentally turned the beam to lethal and killed someone, but it was – of course – harder than expected. The civilians were somehow firing accurately. Most thought that they'd all been to a public target range or something, but it was obvious to Holly that they didn't know at all what they were doing. They seemed, apart from the accuracy, to have never held a Neutrino before this. And though she'd be permanently disrespected for saying so out loud, it seemed to her that some external force was guiding their movements, moving their hands to a more accurate position as they fired.

There had been twenty at first, five hours ago, and so far only seven had been successfully stunned. The LEP, on the other hand, had come in with fifty, and now had no more than thirty awake, although they'd finally realized that these were the equivalent of trained enemies, and were losing fewer due to getting their acts together and taking an actual formation. To Holly, it couldn't come sooner enough. But however much easier it was, one of the first rules you learnt as an LEPtraffic was "No phone calls while on duty." Holly had normally disregarded this rule as too cautious – but ever since the Fowl Manor Siege she'd begun to think twice.

Holly spun around, leaving her hiding place, and stunned one of the rioters. She quickly pulled back in as Artemis said, "I've called you during the middle of something, haven't I?" He sounded a bit sheepish, but though Holly might've been pleased at any other time to hear him say such a thing, she really couldn't focus on him right now.

"No!" she replied, rolling back. "I'm putting myself in mortal danger for fun."

"I'm truly sorry, Holly, but this is important."

"Artemis, it doesn't look like it's ending soon. A riot's been thrown about the end of the world, or something. If this is really important, I'll -" She fired a quick blast at a civilian who came around the corner "try to listen, but there's no guarantee."

"It is; and I need only two minutes, likely less," said Artemis. "It may actually be connected with the riot. I am currently staying with a group of gifted children and adolescents, and one of them has been having repetitive visions. They cannot be dreams as they are too removed from reality for her imagination. In the most recent one, she was told by an angel of the impending apocalypse. Can you come up as soon as possible?"

Holly's thoughts were high on too much adrenaline to really focus on him at the moment, but from what she could discern this warranted investigation. "It sounds ridiculous, Artemis, but if I can, I'll come," she told him. "But what about these other kids? They don't know about the People. What do I do about that?"

"Not a problem; the master of the house does. His name is Mr. Nicholas Benedict."

It took her a second to register the name, but when she did Holly's eyes widened. "Root's old friend? He's still alive?"

"Yes. Please, Holly, Reynie and the others need to know of your existence if this matter is to be resolved."

Holly considered it for a moment, then sighed. _I'm way too much of a pushover, _she thought. "Fine. I'll come up after this is done. I probably can after this, but the other humans will have to be wiped afterward," she said.

"Very well," Artemis agreed, and hung up.

**Stonetown, US – Point of View of Artemis Fowl II**

Artemis quickly hung up, turned, and headed back to the hall. It was claustrophobically stacked with books, to his great and permanent annoyance – he'd either grown out of his dust mite allergy or was going to have an attack at some point. Mr. Benedict was waiting for him. Reynie, Sticky, Kate and Constance were nowhere to be seen, so either they hadn't gotten up yet or they were somewhere else entirely.

"Did you contact the People?" Mr. Benedict asked as he entered the hallway. He sounded as if he was trying not to be concerned, but the look in his eyes betrayed his real feelings.

"Yes," Artemis replied, and began on a summary of his conversation with the elf. "Holly is currently preoccupied with subduing a riot, but she will try to come to us afterward. She says she'll assist, or she sounded like she would, though the others will need to be wiped at the conclusion of it all." Artemis felt a bit depressed at that – it would've been nice to have others his own age and intellect to discuss the matters of the People with, and maybe even Holly... but unfortunately it couldn't be helped. _I've gone too long on my own_.

Mr. Benedict sighed. "Of course. I don't like it, but I look forward to meeting Holly, in any case."

"Don't expect her too soon," Artemis warned. "It's likely she will not arrive until nightfall."

"All right," said Mr. Benedict. He gestured with his hand in the direction of the library – or what was supposed to be. Or maybe it was another room entirely. Though Artemis had a photographic memory, it didn't help when every hallway looked the same. As they walked along, the elder man said, "Now, if you would please fill me in?"

"We should wait for Reynie, Kate, and Sticky to arrive," said Artemis, trying to think of a good way to explain everything to the four. This definitely wasn't going to be easy.

"Very well," said Mr. Benedict, and for a moment the expression on their faces was one and the same.

**A/N Chapter complete! Yes! I thank you both, GreatKateZonkeyMachine and Kahlan the Dream Spirit for your offers to beta, and Kahlan for betaing!**


	7. Chapter 7: Holly Returns

**A/N: I have decided. A story of my conception is up for grabs: the prequel to this, the story of Julius Root and Nicholas Benedict's friendship Anyone who wants to write that story, tell me in a PM, and I'll decide whether or not to give it to you (I don't want just anyone writing this story, as I want it to be something I will seriously enjoy reading). I will choose the best option, or, if there is no good option, I may try to write it myself. Thank you.**

**IN OTHER NOTES, I saw on the site's mobile edition that the page had many odd bugs last chapter, including arrows mid-text, unfinished words, and random punctuation. I'm sorry, but I cannot identify the cause, or rectify it. I suggest you read in the normal site in order to read this particular story. Many apologies.**

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**Disclaimer: I own only Armando Terra and a few of the Maitreya. Not even all of them.**

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_Chapter 7_

**Holly Returns**

_In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and Mr. Benedict speaks with him on the subject of a certain elf. Later, it shall be so that the same elf shall join the fray of this story._

It was then that Constance rejoined them. She had, now that her worries had been somewhat alleviated, gone to look for something to eat. Mr. Benedict greeted her with an embrace, which she accepted with a typical "You're choking me!" and turned to Artemis, who unconsciously shielded his mind.

"Well?" she demanded, "Any news?"

"Yes," said Artemis. "A friend and old ally of mine, Holly Short, will be arriving shortly to assist us. There are some things you'll need to know, but I'll tell them to everyone all at once. All we do now is wait for the others."

"I think you just like keeping us in suspense," grumbled Constance. "We're _always_ waiting for someone."

"Suspense? I assure you nothing was farther from my mind," said Artemis, but his vampiric grin said otherwise.

"You know there's an easier way-" Constance began, but Artemis interrupted.

"No," he said insistently. "My mind is my own. It is my fortress. From it, I can destroy any siege. It is my last sanctuary, and no one shall enter it, if I can prevent it." Perhaps he was still a bit paranoid from the Atlantis Complex, but what he said was, by all rights, true.

"You need to tune down the melodrama," muttered Constance. Then she added, "Fine."

There was silence then, spreading over them like a blanket along with the dust. Eventually, Mr. Benedict and Artemis dissolved into a game of chess, and Constance had left in search of entertainment.

"Don't the others normally get up by now?" Artemis asked Mr. Benedict as he moved his knight to H3.

"Yes," said Mr. Benedict, as his queen took Artemis' knight. "But it's quite likely they're still discussing you."

"I understand that," he said, feeling only slightly insulted. Then he added, "Checkmate," as his bishop moved to a position trapping the king.

Mr. Benedict tipped his king over. "You win," he said, "Again?"

"Certainly," Artemis agreed, and then waited as Mr. Benedict reset the board.

As the game began anew, Mr. Benedict started up a conversation. "You remember that you told me your story of your escapades with the People?"

"Indeed," said Artemis. "What of it?"

"You left out a key point," Mr. Benedict told him.

"And what might that be?" Artemis asked warily, raising one eyebrow. True, he'd grown over the years he'd know the fey, but old habits did die hard, and he was no exception.

"Your own emotions," Mr. Benedict replied.

"Why, Mr. Benedict," said Artemis, smirking, "Haven't you realized yet that I don't have emotions? I am the infamous Artemis Fowl II."

Mr. Benedict chuckled and shook his head. "I don't pretend to be more intelligent than you. But I am older, and age gives us understanding -" here he took a pawn of Artemis', effectively checkmating the boy, "- about more than chess." As Artemis stared down at the board in utter shock, Mr. Benedict said quietly, "You're as pubescent as any other boy your age, Artemis. Don't try to pretend otherwise."

Now Artemis looked up, and there was a barely contained rage in his eyes. "You are suggesting that Holly means more to me than a friend."

"The way you talk about her, that look in your eyes – it's quite normal, Artemis. I'm not surprised in the least," Mr. Benedict told him.

"You may be right," said Artemis, softly and dangerously, "But if you continue to try to tell me the workings of my own mind, I assure you, you will regret it."

Mr. Benedict simply nodded, and reset the board.

By the time the others arrived, Artemis' anger had (mostly) faded. Constance told them of her dream, and that Artemis and Mr. Benedict knew something about it. They then waited patiently for the two to finish their current game (except for Constance who was waiting, if somewhat less patiently). When they had finished, Artemis turned to the four original members of the Society, who were quietly muttering amongst themselves.

"We need to talk," he said. "As Constance told you, my friend Holly Short will be helping us. There are, however, a few things you need to know. First and foremost, Holly is a fairy elf."

They all stared at him, then looked at Mr. Benedict who nodded, and took up the narrative.

"You see, children," he said, "We are not the only sentient creatures to inhabit this world. Long before we first evolved, multiple other races lived here. These were—are—the fairies."

Artemis told them all the basics of his escapades with the fairies. It was similar to the story he'd told Mr. Benedict- greatly abridged. Then he explained to them the drive of the Nova Ray. It had been disguised as an ion drive, but now he explained its true, magical properties.

"I don't believe it," Kate said when he was finished. "Magic? There's no magic, it's just an old wives' tale."

"Would I lie to you?" Artemis asked rather indignantly, only realizing he was setting himself up as he finished the sentence.

There wasn't a hesitation as all three (sans Constance) said, "Yes."

"Well, this time I happen to be telling the truth," said Artemis, "and Mr. Benedict can vouch for me."

Kate gazed up at Mr. Benedict skeptically. He nodded. "Fine," she grumbled. "Just this once."

After that, they waited. Artemis, Reynie, and Mr. Benedict began a chess tournament to pass the time. Artemis won. Twice.

But finally, long after Constance had lost interest and begun composing a poem on long waits, Artemis was called on his communicator. He answered immediately.

"Yes? Holly?" he said.

"It's me," said her characteristically irritable voice. "I need an invite."

"You're here?" he asked, trying not to sound eager. Mr. Benedict was just smiling knowingly.

"Yes. Put Benedict on so I can come in, alright?" She said impatiently.

Artemis handed the communicator ring to Mr. Benedict, who said into it, "Hello, Miss Short. I, Nicholas Benedict, invite you into my home."

"Thanks," he heard her say, and hung up. A moment later, they heard the front door open.

There was a moment's silence, and then they heard Holly's voice yelling, "I didn't come here for a hedge maze, Artemis! Where do I go?"

Constance leapt up. "I'll guide her!" she said excitedly.

"No, you won't," said Artemis, standing. "I won't have you reading her mind." Her expression told him that he'd correctly interpreted her motivations. He walked out of the library, and trotted briskly down the stairs.

Whatever messages he was trying to send Mr. Benedict through his body language, he could not deny his own excitement. _Holly was back._ That alone was enough to elate him. Coupled with the fact that at last, once more, they were to work together once more on a crisis such as this would have made him very nearly giddy with excitement, had it not been for his advanced self-control.

He soon reached the maze, and, remembering the course he had taken two days prior, soon reached the entrance. Holly was waiting there, and did not look amused.

"Artemis," she said nodding stiffly in his direction. "It's good to see you."

"Likewise, Holly," he replied, nodding.

"We'll save the important stuff for when we can talk to your Mud People friends," she said, her eye almost twitching with suppressed anger. "First, you can tell me _why there is a maze in the ground floor of this house?_"

"It's something of a test for budding society members," he explained to her, his lips twitching in amusement. "It seems you aren't qualified."

Under threat of death, he led her through the maze. They soon reached the stairs, and afterward entered the library.

Mr. Benedict stood as they came in. Holding out his hand, he greeted warmly, "Welcome. Holly Short, I believe?"

"Yes," she replied, taking his hand in her small one. "You must be Nicholas Benedict. Commander Root always spoke very highly of you. The idea of having a maze in the bottom floor of your house is an… _interesting_ one, I'll give you that."

He smiled. "Thank you. I'm rather proud of it. Please sit down," he added politely, gesturing to one of the armchairs. She did, and Artemis returned to his seat.

"Hello, Butler," said Holly, smiling up at the large man.

He grinned down at her. "Holly," he said, "It's been a while."

"And you must be Constance," she stated, looking at the little girl. "Just so you know, I have a mental ward around me now. You can't get through."

"Holly can protect herself, you see," interjected Artemis, "But she can't sense a telepath's presence in her mind. I had to warn her."

After all the introductions, Holly asked, "Anyway, Artemis, why in Frond's name did you drag me up here?"

"We need your help. If you would explain your dream, Constance?"

Constance did, and at the end, Holly nodded. "Yes, I know about the Hall of Frond, and I know where it is. Trouble is, the fourth wing is an archaeological dig site. They're trying to find out how the crystals work. No unauthorized visitors."

"How long will it take to get authorization?" asked Artemis resignedly.

He was not at all surprised when her answer was, "For me? A year, more or less. For you? Ten years. For the others? Not a chance."

"Then we will have to enter illegally," said Artemis softly. "My specialty. It is underground, is it not?"

"No," said Holly. "Frond was alive at a time before you Mud Men-"

"_People,_" hissed Constance.

"-People, sorry. His Hall was actually built inside of a mountain. Mt. Whitney in California, I think."

Artemis turned to Sticky. "Would you happen to know the soil consistency of the area around Mt. Whitney?"

Sticky seemed surprised, but he replied, "Mostly rock and mineral. Very hard. Why?"

"Nutritious, in any case," muttered Artemis.

"No," Holly moaned. "Not Mulch again."

"I'm afraid so," said Artemis. "It seem we will have to call once more upon our flatulent friend.

* * *

**Haven City, Lower Elements – Point of View of Mulch Diggums**

Speaking of this friend of theirs, Mulch Diggums was, in fact, at this moment, at a party. A Dwarfish one, at that. This meant, essentially, that the only food items on the table were the most delicious of rocks, often spiked with alcohol. As to how he got into the party, all that anyone knows is that he certainly wasn't invited.

He was eating his way steadily through his sixth Chalk Cake when he was called on his communicator. Grumbling to himself, he picked it up.

"Yes?" he asked, and almost dropped the comm. when he heard the voice of Artemis Fowl.

"Mr. Diggums," acknowledged the Irish mastermind. "We here require your assistance."

Mulch got straight to the point. "Is it illegal?"

"In theory, yes."

"Tempting," said Mulch, "But I've worked too hard to clear my criminal record to do something like this for old times' sake alone. I need something more substantial."

"Just a moment," said Fowl. Mulch heard what sounded like the comm. being transferred to someone else on the other end, and then heard Holly Short's voice on the other end.

"What would you say, Diggums, if I said that you are likely, not only to get off unpunished for this, but also to get an Acorn Commendation?"

Mulch dropped his Cake. "An _Acorn_?"

"A _green _one."

The Acorns were the highest prize or trophy that the Civil-Martial Council of the Lower Elements could give to a fairy. They were rather like Nobel Prizes for Mud People. They ranked red—the lowest; brown—the second lowest; gold—the second highest; and green—the highest. Only a handful of fairies had ever been given Green Acorns. Holly was one: after her third or so time saving the world, it seemed only fitting.

Mulch knew all this, but he still didn't trust Holly. Something was wrong if she was trying to get him to do something illegal. "Nice try," he said, feigning a condescending voice. "But you'll have to try harder than that, Holly."

The comm. was transferred again. Now it was Artemis' voice that spoke, and what it said shocked the Dwarf. "One quarter ton of gold in unmarked ingots then, Mulch. Agreed?"

"Yes," spluttered Mulch. "But-"

"Good," said Artemis coldly "Meet us in the back yard of the Benedict house in Stonetown, Michigan at eight o'clock Eastern U.S. time sharp. I trust you can find your own way. Good evening, Mr. Diggums." And the communication line closed.

Mulch swore. Of course. He asked for payment, and then in retaliation, Artemis refuses to tell him where to go to get to the meeting. He didn't even know where in the United States Michigan _was_. He'd find it, though. And by the following morning too.

* * *

**Stonetown, US – Point of View of Artemis Fowl II**

Holly was clearly amazed at Artemis' willingness to pay a quarter ton of gold for something this farfetched.

Artemis himself was furious at having to pay so much (especially in gold), but he considered it an acceptable cost for the saving of the world, and he trusted Constance's Psychic abilities. And in any case, it was quite possible that he wouldn't have to pay it. Cheating Mulch shouldn't be the hardest thing he'd ever done…

"So," he said to everyone in the room, "Mulch should be here tomorrow. I suggest we all awaken at seven A.M. sharp to prepare to greet him."

"That makes sense," said Holly.

Mr. Benedict nodded. "Very well. I will lead you, Holly, to your room. Set your alarm to seven in the morning. That goes for everyone. Artemis' room will be beside yours, and he and Butler will lead you, Holly, to the dining room for breakfast and planning. From there, it will all begin."

They all agreed to this, and parted ways for the night. As he lay in bed later, Artemis felt a certain excitement. Once again, he was in his true element. At last, he was fighting for the world again. Things were finally crystallizing.

**A/N: Now, I have to apologize for the wait. Especially since it wasn't writers block. It was procrastination, pure and simple. And then technical difficulties. I am so sorry, and I hope it doesn't happen again.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Best Laid Plans

**A/N: Oh. My. Lord. I am so sorry. Tech difficulties again between me and my beta, Kahlan, again, I'm afraid. Here we are now, however. A toast to the hope that this sort of thing NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.**

**Disclainer: Nothing is owned by moi.**

* * *

_Chapter 8_

The Best Laid Plans  
_In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and the Society's plans are made and begin to go active. Later, it shall be so that the Society prepares to move._

* * *

The next morning, Artemis woke to the irritating beeping of his digital alarm clock. Yawning, he sat up, threw off the covers, and shut off the alarm clock. Then, standing, he stretched, opened his closet, and quickly changed. He made his bed, did his morning yoga exercises (courtesy of Butler) and opened the door to go to breakfast, coming face to face with Holly, who was about to knock.

The two faced each other, Holly's fist raised comically before she lowered it and said, "Well? Where's the dining room, or wherever breakfast is here? I'm hungry!"

He smirked. "Come," he said in a sarcastic lilt, "I will lead you, dear elfin maiden, to the first meal of the day."

She punched his arm, and then followed him downstairs to the kitchen. Butler was already there, helping Rhonda prepare a breakfast of three different kinds of eggs, bacon, sausage, vegetarian versions of all the aforementioned, potatoes, muffins, toast, pancakes, waffles, and cereal. Artemis could feel his arteries panicking at the smell alone.

"Hello Artemis; Holly," said Butler, smiling. "Hungry?"

"…Yes," said Holly, and Artemis could tell she was as affected as he was.

"You must be Holly!" The three of them turned to face Rhonda, who was smiling down at the elf. "Mr. Benedict told me about you! Oh, don't worry," she added, at Holly's scandalized face, "I already knew about the People. I was with Mr. Benedict when he helped out old Commander Root!" Suddenly she looked mortified, "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot he was… well…

Holly grunted, muttered, "It's fine," and shook Rhonda's hand.

Then Reynie and Kate came into the kitchen, lost in a friendly argument about 'The Lord of the Rings' (All of the Benedict Society had, at Sticky's recommendation, read both this and the Hobbit – even Constance - and he and Reynie had read the Silmarillion).

"Look," she said, "Dwarves don't cross to Valinor. It's that simple."

"Year 1541 as shown at the last page of Appendix B," said Reynie. "Legolas built a grey ship and sailed across, taking Gimli."

"Reynie is correct," interjected Artims here. "Gimli left the Grey Havens in Legolas' ship and crossed over the sea. It's mentioned in Appendix A as well."

"See?" Reynie smirked at Kate, who scowled playfully at him. The two sat down. Turning to the kitchen, they saw the banquet – for want of a better word – that was being prepared. "Rhonda," he asked slowly, "How many emperors, kings, prime ministers, presidents, and gluttons are we hosting?"

"Two hundred fifty of each," she muttered distractedly, seemingly trying to stir three pots, flip the pancakes, replace the waffles in the toaster and wink at them all at the same time. "I know Dwarfish appetites, and Mr. Diggums, or so Butler tells me, is a legendary glutton even among them!"

Artemis arched a brow. "Surely you could simply provide him with half a ton of granite and have done?"

"Mr. Benedict said almost exactly the same!" she replied, laughing. "Only he suggested that it be sandstone. Men think alike, it seems. No. We must provide in our way, according to etiquette."

Artemis snorted. "He just made me deal a quarter ton of gold to him," he said scathingly. "Forgive me if manners are not on my mind where he is concerned."

There was a moment of silence, and then Holly said softly, "That was almost an honorable thing to do – giving him the gold – Artemis. I'm proud of you."

Artemis snorted. "Honorable? I'm losing my touch. He checked his watch. "Ah," he said. "Speaking of our dear flatulent friend, he should be here in about twenty minutes. I will fetch Mr. Benedict."

When Mulch did arrive, the household (sans the Society's guardians, other than Mr. Benedict and Milligan) were waiting for him in the backyard. As soon as he burrowed out from under the ground, Artemis greeted him. "Hello, Mulch."

"Dig in," advised Rhonda, and everyone did.

"Hello, Mud Boy," Mulch grinned toothily through a mouthful of eggs and bacon. "I hear you're willing to pay for my services. A quarter ton of gold in unmarked ingots, I think?"

Artemis' eye twitched with fury. He knew, of course, that the Dwarf was only winding him up, but the reminder of the deal they'd struck last night still infuriated him. "Indeed," he said, his voice glacial. "We need to get into the fourth wing of the Hall of Frond. We intend to tunnel in using your skills."

Mulch choked on the sausage he was now eating. "The fourth wing?"

"Yes."

"Of the Hall of Frond?"

"Certainly."

"Impossible," Mulch said flatly. "The place is crawling with LEPShadow agents."

"LEPShadow?" Artemis frowned, one eyebrow arched, looking over at Holly for an explanation. However, Mr. Benedict was the one who replied.

"A small, elite group of covert ops agents in the LEP," said the older man. "I once helped Lieutenant – I mean, Commander – Root track down an agent who'd gone rogue. If the Dwarf is correct, then we have a very serious problem."

"And where did you hear that juicy little bit of gossip?" Holly inquired sharply.

The Dwarf looked shifty. "Oh, here and there, everywhere," he said, feigning nonchalance. Then, seeing that they weren't convinced, he muttered, "Oh, all right. A couple months ago I was investigating the Hall, considering the idea of – er – _borrowing_ a few of those floating crystals. When I heard about the LEPShadow's presence, I trashed the idea. And for good reason. LEPShadow is deadly. They aren't like other fairies. They're only sent on missions in which the target's life is meaningless. They _kill_. I don't intend to go up against them."

"You don't need to," said Artemis. "Just get us in. We'll take care of what's inside."

"Are you insane?" cried Sticky. "This is going to get us all killed!"

Artemis stood. It was time to play the part of 'zealous politician'. "Don't you understand what's at stake?" he asked softly. "The prospect of assaulting the Hall of Frond is a daunting one. But the threat of the end of all things is far more so." As he spoke, his voice rose in a carefully calculated crescendo. "If we do this, all who come will likely die. If we do not, however, all of us will certainly be killed, along with everyone else this world houses, human and fairy alike! I, for one will not allow that. And in any case," he added, his teeth glimmering in his classic vampiric smirk, "I _do_ have a plan."

There was a silence as everyone contemplated his words. Then Mulch asked, through a forgotten mouthful of pancake, "Mmmmf mmf mmmf mmmmf mmf mmf mf mmf mmmmf?" He swallowed quickly and repeated coherently, "What's all this about the end of the world?"

Everyone ignored him completely as Constance spoke. "I'm coming. I had the dreams." She was trembling slightly, as would be expected in a six-year-old, however psychic they were.

Mr. Benedict immediately said, "So am I." It was clear to all that this was largely out of worry for his adoptive daughter.

Holly shook her head sadly. "I've trained with LEPShadow agents," she said quietly. "The bigger the target, the worse it is, no matter the weapon. LEPShadow is trained to fight humans and show no mercy to them. They aren't equipped with conventional Neutrinos, but the equivalent of human sniper rifles. Only children and fairies stand a chance. And by the way, I'm in. As Artemis said, the threat of the end of the world is a big one."

"What's all this about the end of the world?" repeated Mulch. No one listened.

"Do you mean to say that I cannot accompany my daughter?" cried Mr. Benedict.

"Yes," said Holly simply. "You can be nearby, but you can't go in with us."

"Mr. Benedict, I'll look after her," said Reynie softly. "I'm coming with them."

"Not without Miss Perumal's permission, you aren't!" exclaimed Rhonda.

"I'll ask her then," he said simply.

"And if she refuses," said Kate, "I'll take his place."

"I'll come too," said her father. "I assume I can, as a trained fighter?"

"No," said Holly simply, "You can't. LEPShadow is more dangerous than any human. You'd only be orphaning Kate for certain."

"Does this mean I cannot accompany Artemis?" said Butler, softly and dangerously.

"Yes," said Artemis blandly, avoiding the bodyguard's eyes. He'd known this was coming. "Furthermore, I order you to remain behind and protect the adults. I will be fine. As I said, I have a plan." Here he raised his eyebrows and looked at his bodyguard, whose eyes gleamed suddenly with comprehension of his Principal's idea. Then he nodded stiffly. No one noticed the subtle silent exchange.

"Can I still go?" Kate asked Milligan. He sighed.

"Yes," he said mournfully. "You can go. But you'll go armed, at least."

"Of course," said Artemis. "I have spare Neutrinos in my bags. I'll provide one for everyone."

"Where did you get Neutrinos?" Holly asked him.

"Leftovers from the Fowl Manor siege," he replied. Her mouth formed an 'o' of comprehension.

"If Mother and Father allow it, I will go too," Sticky said to the group at large. "I won't be the only member of the Society left behind."

"Very well," said Artemis. "Go ask your parents' permission."

"You must as well," Mr. Benedict told him.

Artemis sighed. "Fine," he muttered, and the meeting dispersed, with Mulch still shouting uselessly after them to tell him what all the stuff about the end of the world was.

* * *

**Stonetown, US – Point of View of Reynard Muldoon**

Reynie entered his apartment in the manor. Miss Perumal looked up and quickly spoke "Welcome home, Reynie! How did the meeting go?"

Reynie winced. "Well, but I don't think you'll like the result." He took a deep breath and braced himself. This was going to be hard, but he knew he had to get Amma's permission. The fate of the world quite literally hung in the balance. "I've volunteered to go on a mission to save the world again. It sounds very dangerous, but if it's not done, we'll all die, and only children can do it." He refrained from mentioning the fairies, remembering the need for secrecy.

Miss Perumal leaned back in the chair she occupied, her face contorted in a grimace. "Again?" she murmured. "I –" she hesitated. "The world is really at stake?"

"Yes," said Reynie simply. "I'm sorry."

"Oh… oh all right," she said, tears leaking from her eyes as she looked at him. "But promise me you'll do everything you can to come home safe!"

"I promise," said Reynie, hugging her. "With all my heart I promise."

"Okay," she said, kissing him on the cheek and calming slightly. "Good luck, Reynie."

"I'm not leaving yet. We're still planning," Reynie said, smiling at her, and then he left for the reconvening of the meeting.

* * *

**Stonetown, US – Point of View of Sticky Washington**

Meanwhile, Sticky was having his own difficulties.

As soon as he told his mother that he wished to go on a dangerous mission for the sake of the world, he was told simply, "No."

"Why not?" he asked heatedly, and at once realized just how stupid of a question that was.

"Because you've done this kind of thing enough times for one boy," said Mrs. Washington firmly. "Let someone else do it. You're just a boy, George. You don't have to do everything."

"The world is at stake," said Sticky, through gritted teeth, "And the society is rising to the challenge. But we don't stand a chance without all of us! Every member of the Society has a vital role to play in the whole. I have one too. The Society doesn't stand a chance without me! This needs to be done, and I need to be there!"

"No, George," said his mother, "I won't let you do something as harebrained as this on the words of Constance's dreams!"

"Mother, please," said Sticky softly. "Did you ever hear of Artemis Fowl? Before he came here, I mean."

"Of course. A reformed criminal genius, with one of the highest IQ values in the world," she said.

"He was famous for none of his plans ever failing," said Sticky, "Largely because he never shared them until afterward. He has one now, mother. I'm inclined to trust it. Please. I need to be there, or we're all doomed."

They stared at each other, their eyes locked in a battle of wills, and then, suddenly, a tear leaked out of Mrs. Washington's left one.

"Do you absolutely have to be there?" she asked, her voice barely steady.

"Yes," he said quietly, "I must."

"Then good luck," she whispered, and burst into tears.

* * *

**Stonetown, US – Point of View of Artemis Fowl**

The meeting now reassembled. Butler had explained to Mulch what was going on. Everyone had their parents' permission, as Mr. Benedict had carefully screened. "And you, Artemis? Did you ask your parents?"

"Yes," said Artemis, "Mother allowed it, after a long and ridiculous argument." His eyes gave nothing away, but if one looked into the depths of his soul, one would have found guilt: he had not told his mother. He knew that she might allow it, but might also not, and too much was at stake for him not to go. So he'd slipped into his room, amused himself for half an hour, and come out again, saying he'd called his mother on the phone.

"So everyone is able to go?" he asked. The Society all nodded. Very well. We will pack and prepare. Tonight, we get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow, we go to California. There, we will go to Mount Whitney, and find, inside the Hall of Frond.

"This meeting is over. Go and pack."

The group spent the rest of the day packing. Kate took her bucket, and hung it on her backpack, which contained all the other, more human basic necessities, such as food, a sleeping bag, clothes, water, and some money, all just in case. Everyone took these same basic supplies in their pack, save Constance, for whom everyone carried a little extra, as she could not be expected to carry a full pack. Everyone had some customization, though.

Artemis, for his part, was carrying a laptop, modified to have internet access anywhere. Reynie had a chessboard. Constance was just able to carry a few toys, Sticky brought an enormous book, Holly brought some preserved acorns and an extra Neutrino (everyone was carrying a single holster), and Mulch (who carried no food, being able to eat the earth) brought a large supply of rock delicacies. After they had finished, they all went to bed to rest for the next day.

That night, Constance dreamed again.

_She wasn't in the Hall of Frond this time. She found herself, instead, in a shining chamber, containing five ornate seats, one of which looked quite like a throne. The seats, walls, and floor were all made of silver and golden metals, inlaid with blue and green rounded gems. The room was empty save for herself and another._

_A violet dragon sat in the throne-like chair. He was slightly smaller than she was, yet his structure and the fearsome golden armor he wore lent him intimidation. His chest, stomach, and wing membranes were a golden orange. His head was lowered, his eyes downcast. Then, suddenly, he looked up and met her eyes. His eyes were colored as his purple back-scales were, and there was a strange fire of determination in them, almost glazed over by years of torment and sorrow._

"Thundazi sent you?_" he asked softly in a quiet, tenor voice, sounding almost childlike, but with an age of an old man behind it._

"I… guess…_" she replied, confused."_Who are you?_"_

"I'm Thundazi and Temporaiat's brother, Majusri Maitreya, the Angel of Magic,_" he said. "_The few of the Order that remain will be helping you occasionally. Me, Thundazi, Fieras, Glacius, and Contreus. I'm here to tell you this. Artemis has power you don't know._"_

"What do you mean?_" she asked him._

"Even he does not understand. You must be ready,_" said Majusri. "_He is not ready to wield those powers, yet he will to their full extent. That's dangerous. He may inadvertently release his own darkness._"_

"What, you mean, suddenly and randomly become evil?_" Constance repeated, confused._

"Yes,_" said the dragon. "_A power is in him, Constance. The power of an Angel. And those who use an Angel's strength without preparation risk the Void passing into them.

"An Angel's magics create a hole in reality and draw their strength from the Beyond. Unless this hole is either small or controlled by an Angel's will, the Void can come out of this abyss and claim the mind of its summoner. This may well happen to Artemis. Temporaiat can undo it, so if it does, you must awaken him as quickly as you can. Do you understand?_"_

"I suppose so,_" she said. "_If Artemis suddenly goes evil, I wake up Temporaiat and he'll fix it?_"_

"Precisely,_" said the Angel. "_Now good night Constance. I won't see you again, perhaps forever, but with a good helping of luck, you may meet my brother tomorrow._"_

_The golden room spun-_

* * *

**A/N: Am I going Angel-heavy? Sorry if I am! On the upside, I know exactly where I'm going now, so updates will(?) be more forthcoming. Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	9. Chapter 9: California

**A/N: Okay, this was done ages ago. Like, months. It didn't get posted because I was trying to get Kahlan to betaread it. Never happened. Sorry if the chapters worse than expected, but I've gotten better. If anyone wants to take Kahlan's place, of if Kahlan herself thinks she can do this a bit more quickly from now on, I wouldn't mind betareading. But I'm now confident enough to go in without one if absolutely necessary.**

**Anyway, I apologize a thousand times over for the wait. I won't promise it won't happen again - life happens, and this is far from my favorite of my fanfictions. That's MageWalker Alpha, if you want to check it out. But I will try to actually drag myself over to Word a lot more often. Trust me, I'm never abandoning this story. I couldn't. I've promised myself I'll never abandon a story once I've started it.**

**Now, to the chapter.**

* * *

_Chapter 9_

California_  
__In which we begin from the Point of the View of the infamous Artemis de Fole, and he and the troop of heroes arrives at California. Later, it shall be so that the storming of the hall shall begin._

* * *

In the morning, as he had the day before, Artemis rose with everyone else at seven A.M. sharp. Rising, he dressed (He took his time, knowing Holly was most likely tapping her foot impatiently outside. She might be a friend, but she was also one of his favorite people to wind up) and, leaving the room, he found Holly, once more outside the door.

She was waiting just outside his door, foot tapping impatiently - just as expected. "Just how long does it take you to get dressed?" she demanded irritably. "I'm hungry!"

"Perhaps I take longer in the morning than you do, but I was able to memorize the layout of the house after my first day," said Artemis, smirking sardonically. "How long does it take you to commit a few corridors to memory?"

She hit him.

After heading downstairs, they found Reynie at the kitchen table watching Butler and Rhonda cook. They weren't quite preparing the fantastic feast of the morning before, but it was still quite a considerable amount of food. Everything was rather quiet; subdued. Anticipation hung thick in the air as the fog outside.

"Oh, Artemis!" Reynie called, his face breaking into a slight – though still friendly - grin."I was waiting for you! Would you say no to a quick game of chess?"

Reynie was looking carefully bland, not betraying fear or anticipation of any kind toward the planned events of the day. This alone was very off. His mind was clearly much more active than his face would willingly show. It was his eyes, however, that really betrayed him, and they did so with astounding clarity. He was worried (who wouldn't be, faced with such a daunting prospect?) but determination shone through, too. Artemis had gotten through to him. The end of the world was coming, and he was ready to do anything to stop it.

Artemis and Holly had sat down at the table before the boy replied. "Please, Reynie, that's an oxymoron. Where you and I together are concerned, there is no such thing as a 'quick game of chess'."

Reynie grinned. "Should I take that as a _compliment_, Artemis?"

"Yes," said Artemis, deadpan as ever. "I can't deny that you're a worthy opponent at chess. Not that I wouldn't win eventually, of course_._

Holly snorted. "Oh, good. For a moment there, I thought something had happened to you, Artemis."

Before they could continue, however, Constance came down the stairs. Artemis looked at her curiously. Something seemed off about her; her slightly downcast eyes, her swaying gait… She didn't look sleep deprived, per se; just as though something had disturbed her slumber. "Constance?" he asked, seeking a response.

"Hmm?" she grunted, eyes raising momentarily to meet his, before lowering again.

"Did you dream again?" he asked. She seemed to have, and if she had, it could be vital; the Angels were the only lead they had on anything they couldn't see with their own two eyes. If Constance had some new information, he needed to know.

"No," she said flatly, and to the unsuspecting eye, she appeared honest, but Artemis was a trained lie-detector and could see the truth. She _had _dreamed last night and, for some reason or other, wasn't telling him about it. He hesitated. On the one hand, he very much wanted to know anything important, as he'd long ago learned to trust his own mind over those of others. But on the other, Constance was their only link to the Angels, and there had to be some good reason for that...

In the end, he decided against interrogating her further, for better or worse. "All right," he said, playing along with the four-year-old. "We'll go as planned."

"Not before breakfast, you won't!" said Rhonda sharply, laying their meal out before them. Artemis contemplated her. Her lips were pressed together slightly harder than normal, and her eyes were considerably colder than normal. Clearly the idea of the mission didn't sit well with her.

Soon after they began their meal, Kate and Sticky joined them; Kate's face shining with excitement and Sticky's a mask of worry. After greeting their fellow children, Holly, Rhonda and Butler they, too, pulled up chairs and began to eat. After a moment Reynie struck up a conversation about the history of the Holy Roman Empire with Sticky, clearly trying to cheer the boy up. His efforts were rather transparent, but Sticky seemed grateful. Artemis joined in, and soon, the three boy genii were lost in history, while beside them, Kate looked rather blank and Constance flatly ignored them.

It was near the end of the meal, when three of them had already finished, that Mulch joined them, and began to eat like a horse – with about the same level of politeness. Artemis was the only human present who was completely unaffected – at least outwardly – as he had dealt with the dwarf for years. The others were not so successful at hiding their disgust, but no one had ever accused Mulch of caring for such things.

Mr. Benedict joined them only once they were all finished. He looked… not afraid, but almost overly calm – the calm of a man who was hiding his worry. "Are you ready, children?" he asked, and Artemis was impressed by his self-control.

"As much as we ever will be," Sticky replied, clearly trying – and failing – to keep his nervousness out of his voice. Artemis almost bit his lip, but didn't, knowing from the experience of both himself and others how annoying mouth sores could be. Sticky might be a problem; Artemis needed to be able to depend on everyone who was working with him. Dependable people were immensely easier to manipulate.

Nothing could be done now, however, so… "Very well," said Artemis. "Let us recap on the plan. We will take my private jet to California. From there we will rent a car and make our way to Lone Pine, which is a small town near Mount Whitney. I researched it last night. We will rest there tonight – I've already found a suitable rental house, and purchased it for the night. Tomorrow, we will attack the Hall. Any questions?"

There were none. All the others sat silent, waiting. "Good. Then let us go."

They did – in just a few minutes they were packed into three cars. The ride was far from uneventful – Holly attempted murder on Mulch, Constance tried to read the minds of her companions in the other vehicles (a 'psychic exercise', she called it) and Kate got a headache with Reynie and Sticky going through a maze of mathematical exercises.

Once they reached the airport, they took off in Artemis' jet as quickly as possible, with Butler as pilot. Mulch was in the cockpit with him. The rest settled back into the would-be first class passenger area.

During the plane flight, at one point, Holly turned to Artemis, who sat beside her. "You know," she said quietly, so the others didn't hear. "You may have condemned us all to death, Artemis. LEPShadow is not a force to be trifled with."

Artemis, however, simply treated her to a signature vampire smirk and murmured, "Neither am I."

She just grunted and leaned back in reply. After a moment, she spoke again. "I just hope your plan is a really good one, Artemis, 'cause that's the only way any of us are getting out of this alive."

Artemis just looked at her and didn't reply.

A few seats further back, Kate, Reynie and Sticky were holding a similar conversation. "This doesn't look like a good idea," said Sticky quietly. "We; that is, five kids and a fairy, are invading against a force of trained killers. That's not good."

"No, it isn't," Kate replied. Turning to Reynie, she asked, "Do you really trust Artemis on this? It's dangerous."

"Logically the question isn't whether or not I trust Artemis," said Reynie, leaning back and clasping his hands, looking thoughtful. "It's whether or not I trust Constance. She's been having the dreams, and he's acting on them as much as we are. And I, for one, do trust Constance. Don't you two?"

There was silence. Neither of the others knew how to answer.

It was getting late when they reached California, but the drive to Lone Pine was not too long. They arrived at about nine o'clock, and turned in immediately. Artemis had managed to secure a three bedroom house, and they separated accordingly: Mr. Benedict and Mulch in one room, all the females in another, and Artemis, Sticky, and Reynie in the last.

As they lay together in the boys' room, Reynie rolled over on his mattress to face Artemis, who had deftly snatched the bed. "Sticky's asleep," he said softly. "Now I want answers. You're no idiot, Artemis; you'd never do something as stupid as this looks. You have more information than you're telling us. Spill."

Artemis met his eyes. "You're right, of course," he said quietly, without rancor. "I know more about this than anyone else. But what it is I know I can't tell you until I understand more myself. Trust me on this, though – I can say honestly that our odds of survival are over sixty percent." Suddenly he bared his teeth in a grin, like the vampire smirk he was famous for, but wider, and altogether more feral and deadly; more like the smile of a hungry wolf. "And that," he added, "Is a good deal better than my usual fare in such things."

Reynie held his gaze for a moment, and then shrugged and yawned. "If you say so," he murmured. "Night, Artemis."

"Good night, Reynie," said the Irish genius. And the two closed their eyes.

They, and all the others, slept fitfully at best. The same thought was running through all their heads:

_Tomorrow, for better or worse, it all ends._

Little did they know how very wrong they were.

* * *

**9:26 AM, California, in the wilderness by Mount Whitney – Point of View of Artemis Fowl II**

They were gathered and they were ready. There was a cliff face to their right, and on all other sides, blank evergreen forest stretched on and on. Mr. Benedict was having some difficulty with the thin air, but had insisted on accompanying the children this far, along with the other adults.

They had just arrived, and were now just standing together there – the deep breath before the plunge. The tension was palpable. It wasn't long before Artemis said to the group at large, "All right, it's time."

He looked around at them all. "Mulch, forward to the wall. You are to chew it thin enough that in is easy to break through. Is that understood?"

"Yep. Easily done, Mud Boy," said Mulch, and, opening his bum-flap, began his meal. Everyone looked away. "All right, got it," he said after a time, quietly. They all looked to see him buttoning his trousers again. "Be quiet, you all," he said. "It's really thin – they might be able to hear."

"Very well. Thank you, Mulch," said Artemis. "Butler, in the unlikely event that I do not return, Mulch is to be given a quarter ton of gold directly from my funds before my will is followed."

Butler nodded, his face expressionless.

"Good," said Artemis. "All of you not in the raiding party, get back and out of sight."

The adults all did, and the children, as well as Holly, took formation just outside the new (and slightly moist) tunnel.

"Ready?" Artemis whispered.

"Ready," the others all replied.

"I shall go in first," said the Irish boy. "You all follow as you will."

"Artemis," Holly murmured, "What are you doing? I should be going first!"

"Why?" Artemis asked. "To be a meat-shield, and lose our best gun?"

"But you know the plan!" she said, as loudly as she dared.

"I never said _I _was to be a meat-shield, did I?" he asked. And with that cryptic reply, he rushed forward, gun raised, and smashed through the wall, entering the Hall of Frond.

It had begun.

* * *

**A/N: There you are. How was it? Reviews are my food! They feed the story, too! So _FEED __ME_!**


	10. Chapter 10: Temporaiat Maitreya

**A/N: I am NOT HAPPY with this chapter. At all. I think I moved stuff too fast. Whatever. At least it only took me about three weeks this time – pretty good, considering my track record. Or was it four? I think it was three. Whatever. Enjoy.**

* * *

_Chapter 10_

Temporaiat Maitreya_  
__In which we begin from the Point of the View of the gifted Artemis de Fole, and he wields a hidden power that he bears. Later, it shall be so that the Last Maitreya still to live on this side of the Veils of Death shall awaken._

* * *

At once, Artemis was targeted by at least ten separate Neutrino blasts, which fired at him simultaneously. Somehow, though, He dodged, and they shot the ground behind where he had stood.

The moment of truth had come. All the lies must now be cast off, the truth to be revealed. He held out his left hand as the second set of rounds shot at him and a silvery, translucent barrier appeared in the air before him and his party. The lasers bounced off of it like a mirror.

As he did this, he formed his right hand into a shape like a claw. A spark of silver light appeared in the cage his fingers made. It grew until it was like an orb of silver flame and then he threw it through the shield at the LEPShadow agents. It exploded at one of their feet, throwing the special-ops. trooper to the ground.

The LEPShadow agents were all wearing some sort of black jumpsuit, with plates of green armor anywhere that there wasn't a joint. Their Neutrinos weren't the typical pistol-shape, but instead were as long in proportion to their bodies as a human's sniper rifle was to a man.

Not that it made any difference. Artemis smirked like a vampire as he knocked out two more of the fairies with a silver lightning-bolt. Then, suddenly, Constance ran past him and out of the shield. Before he could stop her, a pain ripped through his skull. He screamed wordlessly and fell to his knees, his eyes squeezed. He felt slight stings as the Neutrino bolts hit him, but they were no more than an inconvenience.

Suddenly a voice spoke in his mind, and pain racked through every fiber of his being with each syllable. _A child? A mere child thinks he is strong enough to use the power of Intelligantis? Fool. He is long dead – and so now will you be. I thank you for giving me this chance. Look now uponthe ending of the world._

Artemis' eyes opened of their own accord. His body picked itself up. His mind still burned so badly that he couldn't do anything, but something else was doing it all.

His hands came together and formed an orb of energy. He launched it at a LEPShadow agent. It seeped into him and he fell like a marionette with cut strings.

Artemis couldn't think. The pain was too great. As the world darkened, the voice spoke again. _Yes, _it whispered. _Yes. Go to sleep and give me your body. Give me the strength of Intelligantis!_

* * *

**9:28 AM, California, inside the Hall of Frond in Mount Whitney – Point of View of Constance Contraire.**

Constance ran forward toward the massive diamond that stood right in the center of the hall. That was it; it had to be – the Diamond Tomb of Temporaiat Maitreya. Suddenly, the strange things Artemis was doing changed. He was doing them a lot more rapidly, and they felt more dangerous. Somehow Constance felt instinctively that she was running out of time.

She came up to the Tomb and touched it. Nothing happened. She beat on it with her fists, screaming, "Open up! Wake up!" The cold crystal stayed cold and unmoving.

_Foolish child,_ said a voice behind her – like Artemis', and yet not Artemis'. She whirled. Artemis' hand was alight with silver flame and his eyes – not blue any longer, nor hazel, nor even human eyes, but looking like orbs of solid silver metal in his sockets. _He is dead,_ hissed the horribly altered voice. _He fell in the Cataclysm, and your hope is an illusion._ He reached out his burning hand. Constance glared at him, fighting her fear. _Die, Mortal!_ screamed the thing that had been Artemis, and flame shot forth from his hand.

She heard her friends shout, 'No!' behind him as she squeezed her eyes shut. _I'm sorry, _she thought. _I couldn't wake him up._

And then, instead of impact, there was a sharp _crack! _followed by a sound which, were it written down, would look a little like _fzztssss… _Constance opened her eyes slowly. There was a glowing blue barrier around her, rippling like water. She turned slowly.

The Diamond Tomb had split cleanly in two, and the jackal-like body that had been sealed within had one spur-bearing paw held out, holding the strange shield in place. It was blinking its red eyes rather rapidly and its mouth hung slightly open. Then it opened wider in a yawn. _Not the best wake-up call, _a deep, gruff voice said, seeming to pass into Constance's mind without bothering to go through her ears. _But I have had worse._

Temporaiat looked down at her with something like a smile on its canine face. _Any idea how long I have slept? _She could only shake her head in reply. _Pity, _murmured the Maitreya. _I suppose such is the way of it. _It – or rather he, for its voice was clearly male – looked across the hall at Artemis. _Hello, fiend, _he said, and how his voice and face were filled with hatred. _Now, I see two ways in which this can be resolved. You way choose which is taken. Release the Mortal and be gone from this place and this land forever, or I will destroy you._

Artemis' teeth bared. "_The strength of Intelligantis is mine! It dwarfs your own!_"

Temporaiat snorted. _Even at the height of his power and the waning of mine, I could have swept the halls of the Citadel with him, _he said. _I am the stronger in battle._

Artemis frowned. _He was of the order of Elemeth, the highest of the Maitreya. His power—_

_Lay in the strength of his mind, _Temporaiat finished. _A strength you do not possess._

Artemis didn't reply with words. He – or rather the demon behind his eyes – merely hissed and charged.

In an instant, a strange blade of bright blue metal in the shape of a flattened double helix appeared in Temporaiat's paw (though how he carried it was a mystery, considering his lack of a thumb). He leapt forward and met Artemis halfway with a sweeping uppercut. Artemis' hands burst into silver fire and he caught the blade as it swung. Sparks of electric energy flew as the silvery energy met the blue metal.

Temporaiat leapt back and spun, swinging his blade in a deadly arc at the perfect height to decapitate Artemis. The boy-demon blocked it with a wrist which flowed with energy and struck forward with a lightning-fast punch. Temporaiat blocked with his palm and whirled, slamming Artemis in the face with a spinning kick – not the kind that shamed martial artist everywhere to use, but veritable steam engine of rotating force.

Artemis flew back into the wall, and there was a sharp snap as he hit it. The wall cracked around him, but he seemed nearly unharmed. He stood up, teeth bared. _Curse you, Lord of Time! Today you die!_

He moved his hands in a way that described a line and silver energy flowed from his fingers, coalescing into the linear shape and forming into a blade of silver metal. Artemis' right hand grasped the hilt and swung the blade about so that its tip pointed into Temporaiat's chest. _It is over, Angel!_ he screamed and leapt.

Temporaiat ducked and rolled under the strike with a practiced ease that belied centuries of practice and swung. The helix blade sank into the small of Artemis' back. The boy screamed, and the demon in his screamed with him. Constance clapped her hands over her ears as the horrible, shuddering cacophony of noise – it was like the pained screams of a hundred cats slowly roasting.

Then Artemis fell to the ground, quaking spasmodically. Temporaiat stood up. Constance ran forward.

There was no blood on Artemis' back, nor could she see any sign of the place where the blade had gone in. She knelt down beside the shaking boy, looking, trying to find any mark to show what was happening. She was joined there by Holly almost instantly. "What happened?" The Elf asked, her voice shaking, but only slightly – she was, after all, an Elf, and Constance knew she didn't want to lose her air of practiced calm in front of the Society.

_He tried to wield a power above his station, _said the Maitreya above them. _And a demon of the Void crept in and claimed it. The backlash has nearly destroyed his mind, but the boy is strong. He may very likely pull through this darkness._

"You didn't kill him?" Reynie asked. Constance stood up and saw that he was looking up at Temporaiat questioningly.

_Nay, young one, _said Temporaiat, and a strange growling sound issued from him. Constance almost flinched, but then she realized he was laughing. _I doubt I could in any case. Intelligantis' strength always lay, after his mind, in his abilities to cheat death. He was one of the last to fall._

"Who was Intelligantis?" Sticky asked. He seemed to be standing a little ways away, watching both Artemis and Temporaiat warily. "Was he a Maitreya?"

_Aye, _said Temporaiat, nodding his canine head. _Angel of Thought, he was. And a greater Maitreya I have seldom seen. He was very powerful, and took the form of one of your kind. His color was silver, and his Codex was Thr__ӕ__lin._

_Codex… _Constance thought. She ran over to the Tomb and read the engravings upon the pedestal. Again she was able to read them. "Yours was Diraia, right?" she asked, turning to him.

_Is, not was, _he said. _The Codex of a Maitreya is one of our greatest sources of strength. It is a weapon, a tool of magic, and an archive all at once. This, _he said, throwing the helix-shaped blade into the air so it flipped once before landing back in his palm, _Is Diraia, the Timesword. In reality it can be any weapon I choose, but my choice is a blade, just as my opposite chooses a spear._

"Your opposite?" Reynie asked quickly. "What do you mean?"

_As I am Angel, _said Temporaiat, _So Time also has a Demon. Tham'Lar, he is called. I wonder if he still lives after these many __Ӕ__ons. I hope he does._

"Why?" asked Constance in surprise. "He's your enemy, isn't he?"

_Indeed, _said Temporaiat, _But as a wise man once said, 'Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer', and as another said, 'Is not a noble friend the best thing in the world, and a noble enemy the next best?' We Angels and Demons fought for many ages of the world – one does not live in extended contact – even if it be conflict – with another for that amount of time without bonds forming. He was not a friend, but he was an enemy who was near to my heart._

"I don't get what you mean, and I've lived longer than anyone else here," said Holly.

_A century is but the passing of an hour to a Maitreya of the ages, _said Temporaiat simply.

"I'm sure we all have questions," said Artemis suddenly, eyes still closed, "But, Maitreya, I might suggest that now isn't the time to answer all of them."

"Maybe you can answer one of mine, Mud Boy," growled Holly, holding her Neutrino to the Irish genius' forehead. "What the D'Arvit was that about? You tried to D'Arvitting kill Constance!"

"An error in calculations on my part," Said Artamis flatly. "And worse, one I should have foreseen years ago. But I am not a traitor to this team, Holly. That I can promise you."

_Indeed, _said Temporaiat. _He did not create the darkness, nor did he knowingly wield it. Such traps have ensnared even the greatest of men, and even the mightiest of other, greater races. The boy is not to blame. And he is quite right – we must leave this place with all haste that may be contrived._

"What's the rush?" Reynie asked. "The LEPShadow agents are all down, thanks to Artemis."

Temporaiat blinked. _What…? _he muttered quietly. Then his crimson eyes blazed. _By the Hand! Get out of my head! _The Maitreya shook his jackal's skull form side to side, and suddenly, a strange black mist crept from his eyes, nose, and ears. Everyone except Artemis, who was still laying down, stepped backwards and away involuntarily.

Temporaiat drew Diraia and pointed it at the mist which was holding together in an indistinct shape. _And what __**is **__the great hurry, Demon? _he snarled.

_That, _hissed another voice, seeming to emanate from the mist. _Is far from the greeting that befits an old friend. I am ashamed of you, Temporaiat. I have come through thought and time to meet with you this day, and left my body broken and dying on the stairs of iron that I might aid you now. Some thanks this is._

Temporaiat's brow furrowed. _Name yourself! _he demanded.

_Fool, _said the voice, and it sounded like a low, almost feline purr now, deep as the sea and unmistakably male, _You ought to be able to guess. I am he that fought by your side against Thundalin in the battle at Tartarus Alpha. I am he who you fell in battle to protect at Ginnungagap by the Eye of Odin and who later breathed life back into you with that Codex's power. I will not name myself. You name me._

Diraia clattered to the ground as the Maitreya dropped it. Tempraiat rushed forward as though to embrace the mist-creature, but then seemingly remembered it's lack of solidity. _I feared you fallen, my old friend. It has been far too long, F__ӕ__rin Maitreya._

* * *

**Yep! Here's another one of my little wee Angel people. Now, a little answer to a question you probably didn't even know you had:**

**Q: Why is Temporaiat supposed to be the 'Last Maitreya' if, actually, there's still, Thundazi, F****ӕ****rin, Majusri, and a few others left?**

**A: Well, they're dead. None of them are, in the strictest sense, alive. They're ghosts (or possibly AIs, if you watch Red vs Blue). This stuff all went down in the Cataclysm which will probably get mentioned a lot more from here on. Who knows – it may even get explained!**

**Now, please review after you read! I need people to tell how good/bad I'm doing to fix it! I'm planning two novels right now, and since I don't want to do that at anything but my best, I'm taking CC more seriously than ever. I need as much help as I can get – and you can all help me get that by just taking a few moments out of your day to review. I'd be much obliged if you did so.**

**Even if you don't though, thanks for reading!**


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